The “rapper” broke news on instagram today unveiling that long-standing hip-hop publication The SOURCEMagazine had selected him as 2013 Man of the Year for The SOURCE’s annual Year in Review issue.

The irony of Macklemore’s story bearing the subtitle “American Hustle” isn’t lost on us. On the one hand, we must give some kind of props to Macklemore for going from the most obscure member of XXL Magazine’s 2011 Freshman Class to pretty much a household name across the country. Hate it or love it, his “Thrift Shop” single with Ryan Lewis was one of the biggest and most catchy songs released last year, and just barely escaped being overplayed by radio as much as Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.”

On the other hand, it says a lot when a former staple and flagship publication in rap culture – one whose brand is as distinctive as its “Five Mics” rating in rap reviews – is joining the party of knighting Macklemore as a serious contributor in modern hip-hop. Granted, many would say that The SOURCE hasn’t been credible or relevant in years, or even that it has “fallen off.” But it’s certainly disappointing to see the magazine giving this type of credit to Macklemore.

“In terms of [that category], I think it should go to Kendrick. He’s family. TDE is family, and I understand why Hip-Hop would feel like Kendrick got robbed [if he didn’t win]. I’m not trying to compare albums; I think you can make an argument for both. With that being said, I am a huge supporter of what Kendrick does. And because of that, I would love to win in a different category. We obviously had massive success on commercial radio, and I think that, in ways, The Heist was a bigger album, but Kendrick has a better rap album.”

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The D&aD Team's resident R&B connoisseur, Batman fanatic, and author in progress, forever in search of the elusive Green Light like a Black Jay Gatsby. Bradford has also contributed to the former Chan-Lo.com, BroJackson.com, EBONY.com, ThisisRNB.com, and HoustonStyle Magazine.